The Only Exception
by I Am Switzerland101
Summary: Spin off to "Shouldn't Feel This Way." Embry and Claire battle with how they feel but love takes over their instincts and they try everything they can to keep it a secret, but some secrets just can't be kept.
1. Chapter 1

_Flashback_

It started with a hug, then that hug turned into a caress of the cheek, that caress turned into a kiss, and that kiss turned into a love so unlike any other.

The way it started was with a simple song. Embry had just gotten into Claire's house from the brewing storm outside—having to do with a vampire's special ability. The whole pack had been on high alert and all the imprints were at Emily's house. Well, almost all of the imprints.

Claire was not there and she was the most valued and protected imprint because of her relationship with Emily, Sam, Leah, Seth, and of course Quil. She was in school for most of the day and around 3 she was going to start walking home. The storm didn't happen until around 3:10 but Claire should have been inside by then.

"Damn it, Claire!" Embry curses loudly after searching her entire house for her.

Embry runs out the back door and searches wildly for her scent, desperate to find his best friend. Quil would kill him if he didn't find Claire and frankly Embry would probably kill himself if anything happened to her. Over the past few years Claire had become his ultimate confident and best friend. It happened when she turned 13.

She is so incredibly witty and smart that even Sam and Jared have problems keeping up with her intellect. Quil would like to say that he's her best friend too but she told Embry a couple years ago that she likes him more. Embry tries not to think about that because if he does it will follow his thoughts when he phases and Quil will get his feelings hurt.

Embry rounds the corner and comes across a tiny huddled figure under a small apple tree. Confused, he approaches it slowly and sniffs the air around him. _Ah, Claire_, he thinks.

"Claire?" Embry asks aloud. "Are you okay?" He pulls back Claire's hood and finds her shivering from the rain. "You're going to get phenomena out here!"

Embry reaches down and lifts her effortlessly from the ground. Claire instantly curls herself into him and wraps her freezing fingers around his neck. Embry flinches from the cold contact on his warm skin and runs back inside her house. He rushes up to her room and pulls back the covers before placing her gently on her bed. Embry turns on her heating blanket and Claire sighs as it works almost instantly.

"What were you thinking, Claire? Why were you outside?" Embry asks her with concern, sliding in next to her and wrapping his warm arms around her small waist.

"I dropped my key," she said through chattering teeth, turning around in his arms so she can put her cold hands on his chest. "I was looking for it when you found me." Claire slips off her shoes and wet socks and places her ice cold toes on Embry's thighs, making him cringe but then sigh after she warms up.

"As long as you're okay; Quil is probably going crazy with worry. We tried calling you to tell you to go to Emily's but of course your phone is off." Embry tried chastising her but he couldn't find it in him.

"My phone is dead," she explained, sighing in relief when she had completely warmed up. "Can you turn on my I-pod or something? It's too quiet in here."

Embry reaches over her body and turns her sound system on, glee music fills the room and Embry laughs.

"How do you even like this? You were a toddler when this show came out." Claire smiles and sings along with the song that plays in the background.

"I was feeling done in, couldn't win  
I'd only ever kissed before.  
I thought there's no use getting into heavy petting  
It only leads to trouble and bad fretting..."

Embry laughs deep within his throat and Claire hits him in the arm and continues singing, bouncing up from the bed and dancing along to it.

"I was feeling done in  
Couldn't win  
I'd only ever kissed before You mean she?

Uh huh

I thought there's no use getting  
Into heavy sweating  
It only leads to trouble  
And bad fretting  
Now all I want to know  
Is how to go  
I've tasted blood and I want more

More, more, more!"

Claire pulls up Embry by his hands and he places his hands on her waist as she leads him to the beat.

"I'll put up no resistance  
I want to stay the distance  
I've got an itch to scratch  
I need assistance  
Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me  
I wanna be dirty  
Thrill me, chill me, fulfill me  
Creature of the night

Then if anything shows  
While you pose  
I'll oil you up  
And rub you down

Down, down, down!"

At these lyrics Claire runs her hands down Embry's chest and Embry pull her in a hug. Claire wraps her arms around his torso, forgetting about the song. Embry pulls back and gently caresses her cheek. Claire leans into his touch and Embry leans down to gently brush his lips against hers. Claire pushes herself tighter to Embry and he lifts her up, making her wrap her legs around his torso and kisses him with a passion she didn't know she was capable of.

Claire had never kissed anyone before and she was hesitant but not. She had the biggest crush on Embry since she was 10 and he was becoming more of her best friend than any other wolf member. Quil would be mad. Quil told her of imprinting when she was 9 and she resented it ever since then. Being forcefully bonded to someone from the moment you met their eyes is horrible. That makes them more like slave than soul mate.

Embry however….Embry is quiet, shy, and reserved on the outside, but when they're together he takes on a new personality. He is goofy and loves joking with her, they sing, dance, laugh, and just have fun. He is the polar opposite of Quil who is always too overprotective and bossy. Quil never lets her go out in the rain or even trick or treat in the neighborhood without a wolf present.

When the song reaches its end Claire is being set down gently on her bed and Embry's hands fly instantly away from her, his lips wretched from hers, his back pressed against her door. Claire opens her mouth to ask what his deal is but Embry holds up his hand in such a forceful way that she quiets instantly. Embry's scrunches up his eyebrows, rushes over to Claire and pushes her down gently on her bed, throwing the covers over her and lowering the music.

"Em—"

"Wait!" he silences her with a stern look.

Claire remembers how unlike him that was. Embry never talked to her like that.

"Quil," he says after a minute of silence.

Claire's eyes widen and she tries to calm her rapid heartbeat. Embry leaves her room and Claire hears them talking silently in the hallway.

"We got it finally. Stupid leech just about put a hail storm on the place to smother his scent; lucky Leah was coming into town and caught the scent off Port Angeles. It's hailing like crazy in Forks, just about hit us too," Quil explains to Embry. Embry can practically feel his anxiousness to see Claire. "Is Claire okay? I don't smell blood but her heart rate is up pretty high."

"Yea, she's just scared of the storm. Go on and see her, I'll go help with the clean up, there's bound to be lots of fallen trees," Embry lies, still trying to shake off the forbidden kiss.

"Alright, brother." Embry flinches from the word but Quil doesn't notice, his main focus on his Claire.

_His Claire_, Embry reminds himself. _She belongs to him._

Even though he knows what just happened in there has definitely made it hard for him to believe it's true.


	2. Chapter 2

_Present_

"Claire, do you know how much you mean to me?" Embry asks her, lying on his side to see her beautiful face. It's a month after his birthday.

Claire's mouth twitches into a smile and she rolls onto her stomach. "Hmm, this much?" she guesses, pinching her fingers into a centimeter.

Embry rolls his eyes and lies on his back. "How 'bout this much?" he asks, spreading his arms out as far as he can, the tip of his finger stretching all the way to Claire's other side.

Claire grabs his hand and kisses it softly. "You're silly," she comments.

"Who?" Embry fake gasps. "Me? The awesome Embry Call? Silly?"

Claire can't help but smile and roll her eyes. "Yes, you," she says, tapping his nose with her index finger.

Embry smiles and leans over to kiss Claire swiftly on the mouth, relishing the feeling it brings. Embry sighs, propping his arms under his head, and looks at the incoming clouds. It wasn't the brightest decision to come to Third Beach when it was cloudy because you could never tell when it would rain.

"Maybe we should head in," he tells Claire. "Quil will worry about you." It pains him to say it, but he knows it's true. Quil always worries when it comes to Claire.

"Boohoo, frankly Embry I don't give a rat's ass about Quil right now," she spits out venomously.

Embry fights back a smile from Claire's usage of cussing. Only 15 and she's picked up the pack's bad habit.

"We also have Jacob's birthday party to get to right now," he reminds her.

Claire tries to fight about it but she knows she's lost when he brings up Jacob. Next to Seth and Embry, Jacob is her favorite wolf. Besides being the Alpha over Embry, not Quil, he was Embry's best friend and Claire had grown to like him over the times she saw him. Jacob wasn't around much because of his imprint Nessie. It was different now, though, Nessie finally looked 18 and she could be formally introduced into the town as Jacob's girlfriend. There would be countless questions but since no one had seen her before they would think she was a stranger and not the girl who almost caused a catastrophe. Jacob is finally able to move back into town, at least for a little while.

"Fine," she sighs. "Let's go."

They leave the beach, walking hand in hand until they reach First Beach. Embry starts up his jeep and Claire instantly plays the radio and within minutes they're at Jake's old cottage. Claire jumps out of Embry's jeep and sprints toward Jacob whose standing by his garage, laughing with Quil and Seth.

"Jacob!" Claire exclaims. Jacob whips his head around at the scream and opens his arms wide enough for Claire to jump into. "I've missed you!" Claire laughs as Jacob spins her around circles and kisses her all over her face.

"How are you my favorite Claire-Bear?" Claire grimaces at the name and Jacob notices before she smiles again.

"I'm starting my junior year soon!" Jacob places Claire down and greets his best friend.

"That's great, Claire. How are you Embry? Got a girlfriend yet?" Jacob teases, punching him in the arm.

"Ha-ha, make fun of the only non-imprinted one why don't you." Embry rolls his eyes, looking down at Claire. "I don't have a girlfriend right now." Embry makes sure to use 'right now' in fear of Claire getting upset. Embry glances down at Claire again and sees her smiling flawlessly.

Jacob raises an eyebrow and looks between young Claire and Embry. Claire bites her lip, trying to keep in a smile and Embry smirks a little. "Is there something going o—"

Claire cuts him off in a panic and shouts at the new figure entering the garage. "Nessie!" She runs over to her childhood best friend and grabs her in a fierce hug.

"Claire," Nessie's melodic voice tinkles. She carefully hugs Claire without breaking any bones.

Quil looks on at the scene with joy and reaches over Jacob to hug Nessie. Claire immediately backs away when Quil comes near her and Jacob and Embry notice it at the same time.

"Um, how about we move this inside?" Embry says quickly, shifting the attention away from Claire.

"We were just discussing our choice of restaurant before you showed up," Jacob says curtly.

Nessie goes to Jacob's side, not under his arm but less than arms length away, and nods. "I chose the little restaurant just on the outskirts of La Push, on the border of Forks."

"Neutral ground." Seth nods his agreement.

"Great, I'm starving," Claire says, her stomach rumbling in response.

"You're always hungry, Claire." Quil laughs and throws his arm around Claire's shoulder, pulling her into his side and ruffling her hair.

"Whoa, yo!" Claire exclaims, wrenching herself away from Quil's arms and smoothing over the crown of her long black hair.

"What?" Quil purses his lips.

"You ruined my hair!" she yells, walking over to Embry's car to fix it with the side mirror.

"Claire, no one cares about how your hair looks. Who do you have to impress?" Seth snickers. Embry nudges him hard in the ribs and shakes his head.

"I have to impress myself. Someday, hopefully soon, a guy will acknowledge me and want to ask me out but if I look like a slob he won't do that now will he?" Claire asked aloud.

She started smoothing her hair into a high pony tail making her bone structure stand out so much so that made Embry want to drive off with her and keep her all to himself. The only thing stopping him was Quil's intense staring as her, also noticing how amazing she looked with her hair up. Quil was her imprint, the difference is that he can take Claire and go somewhere, I cant.

"You're not going out with anyone."

_Oh, no_, Embry thinks.

"Excuse me," Claire's voice says in monotone. Her whole body's gone rigid and solid as a stone. Her breathing is slow and even but we all know what comes after that.

"You're not _allowed_ to date anyone," Quil emphasizes.

"Clair—" Embry starts but Claire cuts him off with her hand.

"You are not my father." Claire walks forward toward Quil and jabs her finger in his face. "You do not have the right to tell me if I can or cannot date so you can promptly shut the fu—"

Embry is quick to wrap his arm around Claire's mouth and pull her away from Quil who looks like he's about to cry. Everyone is shocked and Jake gives Claire one of his infamous glares while Seth is gaping at her.

"Claire, I—" Quil tries to talk to her but Claire just shakes her head.

"I'm so done." Claire turns to Embry, grabs his arm and drags him to his truck, demanding he take her home.

Embry looks back and forth between Claire, who he loves, and his Pack. Obviously he chose his Claire. Embry frowns at Jacob and gets in his Jeep and leaves with Claire.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, knowing Jacob will hear it.

They don't go home. Claire doesn't want to and neither does he. They go to his house.


	3. Chapter 3

_Too Quick_

Embry had rushed to get Claire to his house and when they were there she didn't take much time pouncing on him.

It moved too quickly. Their relationship was only a couple weeks old and already there they were on his bed, Claire on top of him, rubbing herself against Embry. Both their shirts were on the floor, Embry's pants were sliding off way too quickly and Claire's jeans kept inching down little by little, revealing a little white thong to match her white bra. The color stood out in contrast to her caramel colored skin and Embry hardened just that much more.

"Claire, wait," he told her, painfully ripping his lips from hers. Claire's heavy panting had been a major turn on and he wanted to ravish her right there.

"What?" she asked breathlessly. She runs her cold fingers over his nipples, smiling as they harden in response.

"We have to stop. We're going to do something you're going to regret."

"No, I'm not. I don't care about my virginity," she assured him.

Embry had all together forgotten she was a virgin and he was only thinking about that fact that she is Quil's imprint. Doing this would definitely give him the right to kill him. Claire reminding him of her virginity was just icing and now he was definitely regretting getting into this situation.

"It's not just a toy, Claire. It's a gift you should give to someone you want to be with for the rest of your life." Embry made sure to make his point. If Claire decided to go further with this then she was saying she wanted to marry him.

"I want it to be you."

That was all he needed to hear.

Embry carefully pulled down the straps of Claire's bra, and unclipped the back of it with little fumble. He had enough practice when Claire demanded he take it off when scratching her back. Just as he had slipped it off he heard a car engine rumbling right down the road and heard the angry cursing of a wolf. Not just any wolf, the Alpha.

"Fuck," Embry curses loudly. Jumping at least 5 feet away from Claire, Embry grabs his shirt and swiftly puts it on.

"Embry, what the hell?" Claire screeches, more than a little upset.

"Jake," he pants out. Claire's face drops. "He's outside. Quick, take your clothes and get in the shower, now," he orders her. His voice made Claire shiver and want to moan but she did as he said and turned the water on in record time.

Embry runs down stairs and turns the television set on. He makes sure to put it on a rerun of an old show. A loud banging comes from the front door and heavy breathing makes him tremble in fear.

_Act cool_, he tells himself.

He opens the door before Jake punches through it. "Hey, Jake," he says smoothly.

Jacob does not look happy, he looks like he's about to kill someone. "Don't hey me, Embry. Where the hell is Claire?"

Embry bites his lip and nods upstairs. "She's taking a shower; we went to the beach before we came to your house."

"Do you know how upset Quil is? Do you know how upset _Nessie_ is? This night was supposed to be perfect and now it's ruined. Nessie doesn't even want to go out now; Quil is running around La Push like a chicken with its head cut off and Seth is still sitting on my couch in shock!"

"I'm really sorry, Jake. She's just not feeling well, you know women problems," he explains pathetically.

"She's acting like a little brat. Tell her to get her shit together and act appropriate because Quil doesn't deserve to be treated that way. Don't think I don't know what's going on between you two."

"W-what?" Embry stutters, shocked.

"Claire has the biggest crush on you, Embry. Can you seriously tell me you don't see the way she looks at you?"

Recovering from his shock, Embry shakes his head. "I'll make sure to let her down easy."

_Like that's going to happen._

"You better because Quil is her imprint. They belong together," Jake says seriously.

"I know." Of course he knows.

"Alright, meet us at the restaurant in 20 minutes." Jake turns around and gets in his car and drives off.

Embry shuts the door slowly and breaths out a sigh of relief. He had thought for sure that Jacob knew. They were too close to getting caught. Then again, it wasn't the first time.

Embry climbed the stairs slowly and he thought of what line to tell Claire to let her down gently. They couldn't do this anymore, it wasn't fair to anyone, and if anyone found out what they'd been about to do they could kill him if they wanted to. It was pack law. When he reached the door he knocked gently and Claire turned off the water. He was not prepared for her to come out wrapped in a towel.

"Is he gone?" she asked nervously, peeking around Embry's large form.

Embry swallowed the large lump in his throat as he nodded silently. "Claire…we need to talk about something."

Claire held up a finger and shut the bathroom door. After 5 minutes she came out in a shirt and jeans and her dark brown hair was wavy with the water still clinging to it. She smiled seductively at Embry before coming to place a kiss on his lips. He let her kiss him softly but pulled her away and kept her at arm's length.

"We can't do this anymore," he told her bluntly, walking away from her.

"What?" she asked, confusing riddled in her voice.

"Jacob knows you like me and if they find out we could get in a lot of trouble, Claire."

"Embry." She comes to stand next to his side and places her hand on his arm. "I love you."

Embry looks down into those chocolate brown eyes and can't help but feel utter hopelessness. "Get ready, we have to leave in 10 minutes."

Claire looks as if he struck her but she only nods and walks back into the bathroom. They leave shortly after without a word passing between either of them. Claire looks like she's keeping in tears while Embry grips tighter to the steering wheel. When they pull up to the restaurant Claire rubs at her temples.

"I bet everyone is going to ignore me. I was horrible back at Jake's."

"They'll get over it, come on."

Embry opens Claire's door and helps her down from the truck. When they're shown to the rest of their party its noticeable how awkward it is. Quil cannot stop looking toward Claire and Jacob is visibly pissed off. Claire bites her lip and takes a seat next to Quil, moving her chair as close as she can toward him. Embry knew it was in order to make him jealous and show her some emotion but he couldn't. That was her place after all.

Seth was the first to break the silence. "So how's Alaska?"

Jacob didn't respond but Nessie smiled softly as Seth and shrugged her dainty shoulders. "It's cold." She chuckled. "And it's very desolate but the quiet can be nice. Don't you think, Jake?"

Jacob just nodded, keeping his narrowed eyes on Claire who placed her hand in Quil's. Quil couldn't help lighting up. He exuberantly returned her affection and moved slow circles across the flesh of her hand. Embry could only sit there and remain as calm as possible even though it was killing him inside.

The dinner passed by awkwardly from then on and when the girl's excused themselves to the bathroom Jacob waited until they were out of earshot before expressing his concerns.

"Quil, I tell you this because you're my brother. Claire is a brat."

Quil immediately became defensive and almost leaped across the table had it not been for Seth holding him back. "Watch what you say about her," he growled, veins at his temple throbbing.

Jacob shook his head in disgust. "Can you honestly not tell me you don't see the way she looks at Embry? She flat out ignored you earlier and now she's all over you. You're being played."

"Jake, she's a 15 year old teenager. What do you expect?" Seth interceded.

Jake ignored Seth. "I don't care what Sam says. It's time you start courting her."

Embry snorted aloud. "We're not in the 50's."

Jake turned to glare at him. "She needs to get over this crush with you. What if it develops even more and she wants you?"

_Yea, what if_

"That wouldn't happen," Quil speaks up. "She's my imprint, she has to love me."

"I think Brady is a perfect example that she doesn't have to love you. She could turn you down," Seth says. He was never one to keep the truth in for long.

"That's different," Jake dismisses it. "She's married. Brady wasn't going to let her destroy her family. Claire will be 16 in a couple months, Quil. She's going to start dating people. Think about that."

Embry thought about it too.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week since the dinner with Jake and Quil had been even more on top of Claire than usual. He gave her flowers, chocolate, took her for ice cream, and even wrote her poetry. With each failed attempt to win her over she came running toward Embry even faster. It barely took him a couple days before he stopped resisting her advances.

She was just too much resist. Those beautiful eyes and that long hair not to mention she had a body like a goddess that could make any man stop in his tracks. The worst part is that she isn't even done developing yet. She's not even a woman which made Embry feel all the more sick.

"Embry?" Claire's melodic voice called up the stairs.

Embry stirred awake and glanced at the clock to see that it was already 3:30pm. He had the late shift for patrol last night and didn't realize that he'd been sleeping for 8 hours. He grabbed a pair of shorts quickly from the floor and raked a lazy hand through his long hair.

"Are you here?" Claire called out again.

"Yea," his voice croaked at the end. "I'll be down in a minute." He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and went downstairs to greet Claire. He kissed her forehead and smiled down at her before realizing what she was wearing.

"Claire, did you wear that to school?"

His eyes gazed hungrily over the tight as leather jeans she was wearing and the shirt that barely covered her naval and dipped low at the chest.

"No." She smirked. "I changed at home before I got here. Do you like it?" She spun around gently on the high heels she was wearing and twirled her long hair around her finger tip. She bit her lip seductively before smiling brightly at him.

"Does Quil know you're here?"

That shifted her mood fast and she went over to his couch to plop herself down with a huff. "Embry, he's been following me around for the past week and it's annoying the hell out of me. I'm really close to telling him to leave me alone for good."

Embry sat down beside her and pulled her in for a hug. "You can't do that, Claire, it will break his heart."

"I don't want to hurt him. I love him, but I will never be in love with him." She looked genuinely sad over hurting Quil but she couldn't help wanting what she did. She would only look at Quil as a big brother, a parent even. "I'm not going to lead him on anymore. I'm going to tell him today, Embry."

"Why today?" Embry shifted them so she was on his lap.

"Every day he gets crazier! Yesterday he took me car shopping and said I could have whatever I want. I know he's getting severance from the Cullen's but that's way too much." She lifted herself off Embry's lap and grabbed her sweater from the kitchen.

"I'll go with you," Embry offered, following after her.

"No, he might put two and two together and figure out what we're doing. I need to do this alone." Claire grabbed her purse from the floor and Embry tugged gently on her wrist before letting her walk out the door.

"Don't break his heart, Claire. He's my brother." Embry kissed her cheek and let her walk out the door.

Claire didn't waste time walking the mile to Quil's. She almost sprinted because she was so excited. Maybe after a couple months Quil would cheer up and let Claire be with whoever she wanted to be with. Maybe the pack would accept her and Embry. Claire finally reached Quil's door and pounded on it before he opened the door. He had obviously just showered because the towel hung low on his hips and water glistened in his hair.

Worry was written all over his face. "What's wrong, Claire-bear?" He motioned her inside and Claire averted her eyes from his nakedness.

"I, um, could you get dressed first?" Even though she always saw the guys with their shirts off it was awkward knowing that if that towel fell even the slightest she'd be getting an eyeful.

"Oh, yea, be right back." Quil dashed into his room to change and came back out in shorts and a shirt. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" He inspected her body for damages but Claire pushed his prying fingers away.

"I came to tell you that I want you to stop." Claire exhaled and relaxed. The words she'd wanted to say for years were finally out there.

"Stop what?" Quil asked in confusion.

"I want you to stop…trying to be with me. Quil, you're my best friend and I love you a lot but I don't feel that way for you. I look at you like a brother and I know we're imprinted but I just don't feel anything romantic for you." Claire hadn't looked at him during her entire speech and when she looked up he was across the room. She crossed the room to touch his arm but he pulled away from her.

"This is not how it was supposed to be like. You're supposed to love me!" he yelled at her, gripping the tops of her arms. "I was there for you through everything. You're first time at the beach, when you learned to say my name, when you went to school, when you fell on the playground! I was there through it all and you don't love me?"

Claire was scared out of her mind. Quil never touched her this way, not this painfully. "I do love you."

"Bullshit," he sneered and released her. "Get out of my house."

He threw the door open and it banged loudly against the wall. Claire jumped in fright and started to cry. Quil finally realized all he was doing to her but it was too late because she was out the door faster than he thought she could get out.

"Shit!" Quil screamed, kicking the door off the hinges. He ran out of the house after Claire but his anger got the best of him and he phased in the middle of road. Voices flooded his mind and he let a sorrowful howl fill the air.

_She'll come around.-Jacob_

_She loves you, she's just young.-Seth_

_She's too young anyway.-Leah_

_She will realize you're her soul mate.-Collin_

_Maybe she won't.-Brady_

_Don't say that, Brady, she was meant to be his.-Jared_

_Be what she needs you to be.-Paul_

Quil never thought Paul would be the one to make sense of all this chaos.

_I hurt her. I've never been so angry with her. I don't get why this is happening.-Quil_

_Maybe she's gay-Brady._

_BRADY!_- the entire pack yells.

_Maybe there is someone else.-Jacob_

Quil never thought about it before but it made sense. An imprint was bound to love her wolf. Everyone's imprint loved them but maybe Claire was seeing someone else. He made a vow to himself to find out who it was and rip him limb from limb.


	5. Chapter 5

They had to be even more secretive now that Claire had told Quil that she didn't want a romantic relationship with him. Embry had been nervous every day and every patrol he had to keep his mental block up for fear of anyone in the pack finding out about them. Jacob and Nessie went back to Alaska to pack up the rest of their things so that eased Embry's tension at least for a little while.

Every day when Claire was at school he went on patrol with Quil. Quil knew something was up with Claire and he was determined to find out if she was seeing someone. Embry knew he would never suspect him of being with Claire but now they had to be even more careful. They only met at his house now and never in public for fear of anyone in the pack seeing them.

Embry heard the school bell ring almost 10 minutes ago, thanks to his sensitive ears, and knew Claire would be changing and coming over any minute. Things with them never progressed more than kissing now but Claire wanted more and fast. She was turning 16 in a month and she made sure to remind him of that every single day. He couldn't help but notice her changing. When she went home she changed into the skimpiest little outfits she could find and each day she was becoming more…pronounced in certain areas that he rather appreciated.

Embry heard his front door open and close and Claire came in wearing something modest for a change. She had on a very long trench coat; his guess was that it was from the rain outside. Her hair was wet and sticking to the sides of her face and her naturally made up face was washed away and clean. She smirked at him and untied the trench coat and let it fall to the floor. Embry gaped at her for a full five minutes before turning around.

"Oh my God, Claire. Go put on a shirt!" he cried out.

"It's just some lingerie, Embry. Don't be such a prude." He could practically feel her rolling her eyes.

She came to stand in front of him again and smiled seductively. Claire's body was adorned in a very small black thong and a black lace push up bra that did wonders for her. She wore 5 inch stilettos and stood as tall as his chest now and provided him with a much better view of her chest. Her naval ring dangled down her flat tummy and had the little E on it.

"Embry, I want you," she purred in his ear.

She practically fell on her face from lifting herself up higher and Embry grabbed her around the waist. Taking this as encouragement, Claire jumped on him and wrapped her legs around his waist grinding against his hardening erection. Embry groaned and told himself this was a very bad idea but having this stunning woman wrapped around him was making him lose his restraint.

"Claire, we shouldn't do this," he warned her.

Just as she was about to reply someone knocked on his door and they both froze in place.

"Get upstairs now. There's an extra set of clothes you left here last week," he told her urgently.

Claire looked beyond scared and ran as fast as she could in heels upstairs. Embry took a deep breath and counted to 10 before he could actually walk to the door without a bulge in his pants. When he opened the door he saw a young woman in her late twenties standing there.

"Diana?" he asked questioningly.

"Embry!" The petite blonde wrapped her arms around his torso and Embry squirmed uncomfortably.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was just in town visiting family. I know the last time we saw each other it wasn't so great."

Embry snorted. "You had sex with me and dumped me right after."

"Well I'm back for a while and I wanted to make it up to you," she cooed.

Embry looked disgusted and went to take her hand off his arm. "That really isn't—"

"Embry?" Claire asked timidly from behind him.

Claire walked up to him, still in her high heels, and stared down at the girl in front of her.

"Who's this?" Diana asked bitterly.

"This is Claire. Claire this is Diana, she's an old friend of mine."

"Not that old," she corrected him.

"Looks pretty old to me," Claire retorted.

Diana's jaw slacked and Embry almost laughed out loud.

"I didn't know you played around with babies, Embry." Diana rolled her eyes.

"Baby?" Claire gasped.

"I don't. Listen Diana this isn't a good time. I was just tutoring Claire with her homework and maybe you should leave."

"Whatever," she said. "If you wanna take me up on my offer you know where to find me." She winked and turned on her heel out the doorway.

Embry closed the door shut and Claire was already beginning to fume.

"Claire?" Embry asked cautiously.

"You slept with her?" her voice leaked venom with every word.

"It was a long time ago, Claire," he explained.

"What else are you keeping from me?" she demanded.

"I've never hid anything. I've had relationships, I won't lie."

"Obviously," she said sarcastically. "Am I just another girl you'll have sex with?"

"Of course not!"

"I'm going home."

Before he could stop her she ran out the door. Embry gripped the door frame so tight the wood splintered and he sighed. This is a good thing, she should hate you. You shouldn't be with her.


	6. Chapter 6

Claire didn't realize she was going to Quil's until she was there. She didn't bother knocking on the door and Quil was once again only wearing a towel. For some reason it didn't bother Claire quite as much this time. She was livid and hurt and she needed an output for her rage. Quil was like a sitting duck for Claire's emotions and she took it to her advantage.

"Claire, what are you—" Quil was cut off my Claire's mouth pressing against his.

Quil stood in shock for a minute before realizing what was happening. Quil kissed Claire back hard and pushed her up against the wall with one hand and gripped his towel in the other hand. He could smell her arousal as strong as a vampire's scent but he also tasted wolf on his tongue. He shook it off as Claire's own unique taste mixing with his. Claire didn't even think about what she was doing; only imagining Quil as Embry. She finally came to her senses when Quil was snaking his hand up her shirt. Claire broke away with a gasp and felt the prickling sensation of tears behind her eyes. She willed herself not to cry and took a step away from Quil.

"This was a mistake," Claire told him. She licked her bottom lip and bit it, feeling a strange warmth all throughout her body.

"No it wasn't. You felt what just passed between us. We're meant to be together, Claire."

Quil's face filled with hope and longing and Claire couldn't deny the absolute connection she just felt with him. Although the kiss was good, it wasn't like Embry's kiss. Quil kissed with a passionate urgency like she was going to run away from him at a moment's notice whereas Embry kissed her gently like she was glass and he wanted to protect her.

"I don't want some forced connection! I want be loved for who I am not because you're guided to me or some magic crap. I want more, Quil. If you weren't a wolf we would never be together because you would be married with children. I have to go," she told him. "This was a mistake. I'm sorry this isn't what I want."

"Claire!" Quil yelled as she went out the door.

Claire knew messing with their emotions was horrible but she couldn't deny this spark in that kiss with Quil. Even though there was something there it was nothing compared to what she felt with Embry. She knew she had to forgive him but he wouldn't be happy to learn about what she just did with Quil. Claire walked along the path to Embry's house and knew she had to tell him the truth. They had to be together no matter the consequences. Claire knocked gently on Embry's door and waited patiently for him to open the door. She heard footsteps approaching and Embry opened the door and looked down at her.

"You shouldn't be here," Embry told her bluntly, a hard look on his face.

"I came to apologize, Embry. I overreacted earlier and I'm sorry." She tried to step inside but Embry's large form blocked the doorway and she recoiled slightly.

"You can't come inside, Claire. What happened today has nothing to do with how I feel right now. We can't be together," he told her with a strong voice.

"Of course we belong together. I need you," she pleaded, taking a step toward him.

Embry's step back was like a slap in the face and Claire knew she was close to tears. Embry's nose twitched slightly and his mouth dropped open. "You kissed him?"

"I—yes, I did. I kissed Quil because I was mad at you but I realized that I love you!"

Embry took a deep breath to settle the electric nerves running throughout his system. He knew he was close to shaking and phasing and he needed to calm down.

"I'm glad you kissed him. You need to be with him. He's your imprint." Even he didn't believe the words coming from his mouth.

"You don't mean that."

He knew Claire wasn't going to give up on him. It wasn't like her to quit on anything and he knew he had to do something drastic. He was going to have to lie to her in order for her to be with Quil like she should be. It would the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. Fighting a thousand leeches would be easier

"I'm sorry but we can't do this anymore. I don't want you."

Claire felt her heart rip in two and she struggled to breathe. She felt herself dizzying and Embry wanted so badly to hold her and tell her it wasn't true. He wanted all of her so incredibly bad. He needed her too. No words escaped Claire's lips. She didn't need words to express how unbelievably hurt she was. They'd only been sneaking around a few months but she loved him. She never let the words come to surface but Embry was her first love, her only love. She felt the salty tears stream down her cheeks and off her chin. Embry almost kissed her but Claire just turned silently and walked away from him. She didn't run or throw a tantrum or anything childish. She simply walked away from him and he knew that was it for them. She had walked out of his life forever and he was never going to get her back. That was the end for Claire and Embry and the start for the true imprint to begin.


	7. Chapter 7

The weeks passing her departure from Embry's house was painful and heartbreaking for Claire. She spent every passing moment in pain. At nights she cried herself to sleep and at sleep she was a zombie. Quil came over almost every single day to try and cheer her up but it did nothing for her. She was overcome with her grief. Quil was so distraught he called up Embry to try and cheer her up but she screamed at Quil to leave and never come back if he did. Obviously that was a stupid move on Claire's part because now Quil was suspicious as to why she didn't want Embry around but what did it matter anymore? She wasn't Embry's and apparently never was. She tried telling herself she was better off without him but that wasn't the truth.

Embry spent his time running extra patrols for Quil. He has been spending practically every minute with a heartbroken Claire. Hopefully Claire had taken his advice and gotten into a relationship with him. She would be better off with him. He was her wolf and protector, not him, never him. Embry sighed and sat down heavily onto his arm chair. Jake had come back into town and heard about Claire's distress. He sat Embry down and talked to him about how he's glad they cut off their friendship so she can forget her silly crush on him. If only he really knew, Embry thought. She was still his everything. He wanted her so incredibly bad and found himself calling out for her in the middle of the night. He thought about leaving sometimes, finding a job maybe in Seattle where Leah lived. He enjoyed Leah's company quite a lot and she always had a sneaking suspicious about his crush on Claire. Leah wasn't a fool and she didn't like to be played around with so she could see his affection was more than brotherly over time. Embry wondered if maybe she could get him a job.

Picking up his phone he dialed the once person who could understand this need to flee. "Hey, Leah?"

It took three weeks but Claire finally stopped crying. Instead of being sad she got mad. Who the hell was Embry fucking Call to make her feel like this? He was nothing to her anymore. Just a stupid memory of what was. She made a decision that tonight she would go out and fucking forget him and all those stupid over protective wolves as well. There's a huge party tonight with all the Forks kids and Rez kids over in Forks and she was not missing it. Her friends are coming for her any minute and she admires herself in the mirror.

Tan, long legs are barely covered by a short black skirt and her flat stomach is on display since her shirt is so short. Her feet are adorned in simple black pumps and her long chocolate colored hair falls straight down her back. She wipes at some mascara flecks under her eyes before pulling out some pink lip gloss and applying it. A car honks outside and she rushes out to meet her friends, piling in a heap on top of the other four girls already in the cramped car. Claire squeals as she pulls out a bottle of vodka she kid under her shirt before getting in.

"Oh, my God! We're gonna get so fucked up!" Her friend Kelsey screams, driving off to the house hosting the party. Claire is hardly sophomores her friends are seniors and always score invitations to the best parties. If she was honest with herself her friends weren't a good influence on her. They snuck her into clubs, got her to dress trashy, got her high and drunk, and took her to parties. She loved them, really she did, but they were horrible girls. They made it their personal mission last year to make her their little project since she was what they called, "Totes fucking adorbs." Apparently being totally adorable made her quite popular at school and so she went with it. Peer pressure is a bitch after all. So, yes, she was a bit bratty and dressed like a slut outside of school and did illegal things. And yet, she didn't give a flying fuck, especially tonight.

"White girl wasted!" Claire shouts, taking a swig already and feeling the burn of the liquid sliding down her throat.

They arrive in Forks shortly and all the girls tumble out, giggling and holding hands. The boy hosting the party takes one look at all of them in their little outfits and rushes them inside, the party already in full swing.

Claire makes herself at home quickly and does shots with a bunch of girls. They cheer to superficial things like being pretty or popular and Claire soon feels herself growing tipsy and stumbling all around. She decides to play a couple rounds of beer pong before taking more shots. Once she's completely fucked up she dances with a tall, pale boy. His erection presses into her ass as she grinds on him and his hands lift her hair off her shoulder and he kisses along his neck. She peaks back at him to find him actually being attractive. He has hazel eyes, light brown hair, and nice sized muscles. She smiles up at him before turning around and letting him circle her body around, pressing more against him. Her skirt rides up and her panties press against his jeans. Claire moans at the feeling of him hardening against her.

"Wanna get out of here?" he asks, his breath minty and fresh.

Claire knows she shouldn't but she can't seem to make herself care. "Yea," she replies.

The guy leads her outside into the cool night and she shivers. The guy, she doesn't even know his name, puts his arm around her and pulls her into his side. She knows the guys game, what all teenage boys want. Sex.

A howl rings out from the forest and Claire stiffens, wondering which wolf is out patrolling tonight. Quil shouldn't be but Embry might be and that gives her an extra boost. The guy next to her doesn't seem to care and he leads her over to a white pickup truck. He helps me up into the bed of the truck and joins me quickly. He doesn't waste any time before moving his hands all over my body and kissing me fiercely. Kissing this random guy is so different from kissing Embry or even Quil. There is no heat, no spark, pretty much nothing at all. He's an okay kisser but her experience with Embry makes him almost unbearable and suddenly she knows this is too much for her to bear.

"Um," she says, pulling back from him. "Maybe we should head back?" She suggests, looking toward the house.

The guy hesitates a second before nodding. "Yea, I'm sorry if I was too forward," he says.

"No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have led you on. The truth is," she sighs. "I'm kinda dealing with this thing and I don't know I thought if I just started over with someone else I could be happy but…" she stops herself.

"But you can't," he finishes for her.

"I can't," she says sadly. "He hates me."

"No, I don't," a deep voice says from the side of them.

Claire looks over, her heart racing. Is he here?

"Embry," she breathes out in relief.

"I'll, um, give you some privacy," the guy says, jumping off the truck and rushing back inside.

Claire stands up and jumps off the truck as well, landing lithely on her bare feet. Where are my shoes? She thinks offhandedly.

"I'm sorry, Claire," he says, coming forward to take her hand. "I should have never made you feel like you needed to get drunk to forget about me."

"Embry, I'm sorry. I was just upset and being a stupid kid."

"I know," he says, letting her hand drop. "I'm leaving, Claire."

Claire takes a step back like she's been slapped. "What?"

"I'm going to live in Seattle with Leah for a while. It's just time, you know?" Embry tries to reach out for her but she steps back once more.

"You can't leave me, Embry!" she screams in the darkness, alerting several wolves.

"It's for the best, Claire," he says sternly.

"No!" At this point tears stream down her face and she moves forward to slap him across the face. The action doesn't hurt but Embry is shocked she slapped him. He stands there, stunned, feeling his cheek where she hit him. "I need you," she begs.

"Goodbye, Claire."

A final goodbye, he thinks. He's leaving this place and never returning and it's all for her. So she'll be happy, without him.


End file.
